


Hit One And They All Fall Over

by ana



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Cultural Differences, Dinner Party, Memoirs, Social Commentary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-30
Updated: 2013-06-30
Packaged: 2017-12-16 16:22:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/864072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ana/pseuds/ana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An extract of Duv's memoirs with edits by Delia</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hit One And They All Fall Over

Extract from:  **Barrayar – the early years, part 2 by Duv Galeni** _  
  
_[ _Second draft - partial suggested edits/annotations by Delia_ ]

…

Another mistake was the type of cultural faux pas that was as humiliating as it was vital to my Barrayaran education.  Not the type of education that comes from books, periodicals or docu-vids – far too safe.  I am speaking of the excruciating education that comes from Barrayaran socialising.  I had prepped for these events, with the kind of arrogance that is required to make a plunge into the hell that is Barrayar’s unwritten rules within rules within rules – an invisible Russian roulette doll.  I thought I had learned enough to steer myself through many an evening unscathed.  And many a time I did. 

This was not one of those occasions.

I will not name the House I was attending, suffice it to say there were High Vors present and the ~~hellcat~~ woman who took me to this dinner, I suddenly discovered, had done so to spite her parents. [ _I need to know who she is so we can decide if this @!@I#  will cause problems and if we call her the names she deserves_ ].  Fortunately for me, the parents did not cause a scene.  They were polite with a tolerable low-level hostility. [ _Please explain these levels of hostility_ ].  The woman though was peeved, and spent the evening flirting with an ~~anaemic, chinless~~ ImpSec Captain [ _I need a name to decide if he will cause problems. I need a portrait too._ ]

It was at dinner that it happened.  The final course was being served and the hosts were speaking of a family feud and how they had closed ranks against someone outside the family who had tried to use the feud to their advantage.  The details of this are not important. [ _I think you should tell me so I can make an objective assessment – don’t miss out anything._ ] What is important is how I said Komarran families were similar and:

‘Hit one and they all fall over,’ I said loudly and firmly, proud of my contribution to the conversation.  
[ _Oh Duv!]_

I was met with the type of gasps, laughter and sudden silence that causes you to sweat through your clothes many times over.

To explain:

_Hit one and they all fall over:_

On Komarr this expression means many things, but mainly a combination of loyalty in the face of overwhelming odds, and holding to your clan/family, no matter what the provocation to turn against them. [ _I’ve noticed the several paragraphs re Ser Galen have been moved to Part 5 and marked as pending – can we talk about this?_ ]

But on Barrayar, as I discovered, this expression means inbreeding and incest and is an expression usually levelled at the Dendarii.  To use it against anyone else (but the Dendarii) is considered an insult. [ _Are you sure you want this footnote to Barrayaran heritage and genetics? I don’t think it’s appropriate placed here.  And it is not that I am getting defensive._ ]

I then did something which I had to do, although it increased my humiliation.  I explained what I meant. This was _not_ the done thing; when you know you have made a mistake you have to pretend it did not happen; such mistakes are not brought to anyone’s attention at a Barrayaran Vor House Dinner ~~unless you are at a Vorkosigan House dinner.~~ [ _Footnote removed!!  Very funny.  Did you think I wouldn’t catch it? You know you can’t leave this in.  Kareen still has no sense of humour about that day._ ]

Someone I was seated with icily explained my faux pas, and everyone continued talking as if I had not said anything at all.  I never saw a member of that family again until I entered the Academy – he was an instructor ~~and an utter bastard.~~ [ _Covered in part 3_ ].  

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Gwynne for beta read :D


End file.
